An evidently long-brewing major shakeup is under way inside the chief executive offices at City Hall.
Martin Cole, a rare dual titleholder, is at the center of the turnover.
Stripped of at least 50 percent of his responsibilities, he is out as assistant city manager.
Last seen a week ago in Human Resources, he has vanished from City Hall.
Whether Mr. Cole retains the other half of his duties, as city clerk, is open to questioning of people presently with tight lips.
At $197,000 (with a total package of $271,000), he is – was? — the third highest salaried executive at City Hall, after Mr. Nachbar ($250,000) and City Atty. Carol Schwab Warshaw ($222,000).
For the past 11 years, the always-smiling Mr. Cole has been one of the most recognizable figures at City Hall.
He reached his favorite zenith once again last month with the City Council elections. Clearly relishing his widely spaced moments at center stage, Mr. Cole congenially held the spotlight as election results played out very publicly for almost two weeks.
Meanwhile, City Manager John Nachbar is shopping today for a new deputy. He or she will carry the title of “assistant to the city manager,” as distinguished from Mr. Cole’s old label of “assistant city manager.”
Mr. Nachbar said there is “a slight difference” in the title and duty changes. “It is a classification below ‘assistant city manager.’”
In his executive search, Mr. Nachbar said he will be seeking “someone who ideally is on a city manager career path.”
Mr. Cole’s absence is not necessarily temporary.
Unofficially it is being attributed to a(n undetected) disability involving a Workmen’s Comp case.
One source who is a regular presence at City Hall said Mr. Cole is known for maxing out his permissible absences.
However, when Mr. Nachbar was asked to confirm the report that Workmen’s Comp took Mr. Cole away from City Hall, the city manager demurred.
“All I can say is, he is out of the office,” Mr. Nachbar said. “I don’t think I can go into any details.”
Mr. Nachbar was pretty forthright about the shakeup.
No one ever accused the markedly different Messrs. Nachbar and Cole of remotely being a matched set.
The city manager said he needs to get more production out of the deputy position.
Mr. Nachbar has engineered the change “out of a desire to realign my office. I am trying to – in an effort to increase the capacity of my office, given everything that is going on.”
What does “increase the capacity” mean?
“It means increasing the capacity for me to manage the various projects underway and components of this organization,” Mr. Nachbar said.
He could not have been plainer: “I am seeking more capacity than I have had.”
Mr. Cole unofficially retains the other half of his duties, as city clerk and, of course, the entirety of his $197,000 salary and $271,000 total package. He is the third highest salaried executive at City Hall, after Mr. Nachbar ($250,000) and City Atty. Carol Schwab Warshaw ($222,000).